The next day, the arena had been set for the first ever match of the Solana Season. What's even better is the fact that the match are between the top two students of the first-years.
The students of the academy gathered in hushed anticipation, lining the stone walls of the courtyard, where a large circular platform had been marked for the duel. It was just after midday, the sun casting sharp shadows as the duellists stepped onto the stage.
The atmosphere was thick with tension, the buzz of excited whispers reverberating off the stone. Everyone knew this wasn't going to be a typical match.
Shiloh stood at one end of the platform, his long black hair swaying in the breeze, his eyes sharp and focused. He had his hands casually placed in his uniform pocket, exuding confidence with every inch of his posture. The cards that he carried with him were now floating in the air around him, swirling in a mesmerizing display of blue light. They hovered and danced, obedient to his will, as if alive, ready to be used in an instant.
His smirk was evident, but it was more than arrogance- it was the confidence of someone who knew his strength.
On the opposite side, Emmeranne stood still, her posture relaxed, her gaze calm but unwavering. Her wavy black hair fluttered slightly in the breeze, the strands shifting like shadows around her face. With a press of her thumb, her amethyst ring transformed into a sword.
She gripped her sword with both hands, the hilt gleaming under the sun. Her stance was poised and deliberate, her eyes never leaving Shiloh as she sized him up, calculating her first move. There was no arrogance in her, only focus- a deadly kind of quiet intensity.
The announcer raised his hand, signaling that the duel was about to begin. The gathered students fell silent, their breaths held in unison as the two fighters locked eyes.
"Begin!"
The moment the word left the announcer's lips, Shiloh moved. His feet barely made a sound as he darted forward, his body a blur of motion. In an instant, he drew one of the floating cards from the air and flicked his wrist.
The card spun through the air like a blade, streaking toward Emmeranne with frightening speed. The force behind it was enough to make the air crackle as it shot forward, aiming for her chest.
Emmeranne didn't flinch. In one smooth motion, she vanished from the spot. Her body seemed to dissolve into the air, leaving behind nothing but an afterimage. The card whistled through the space she had occupied, missing its target by mere inches. She reappeared a heartbeat later, her figure materializing just behind Shiloh.
Before Shiloh could react, Emmeranne swung her sword in a wide arc, aiming for his back. The blade glinted in the sunlight, a sharp and lethal strike.
But Shiloh was no fool.
He was already aware of her teleportation ability, and he moved just in time. With a flick of his wrist, he sent a card tumbling into the air between them. The card exploded in a burst of shimmering energy, sending a shockwave that pushed Emmeranne back.
She teleported again, landing several meters away, a safe distance between them. She wiped a strand of hair from her face, her expression unchanged.
"You're fast," she said, her voice steady, almost calm in contrast to the chaos of the fight.
Shiloh's grin widened, the excitement clear in his eyes. "I'm more than fast," he said, his voice laced with confidence. "I'm unstoppable."
Without warning, he summoned more cards, each one shimmering in the air around him.
They twirled and spun like a deadly dance, their edges glowing with a faint blue light. He sent them hurtling toward Emmeranne, the cards flying in every direction, each one aimed to slice through the air with precision.
Emmeranne darted left, then right, teleporting in rapid succession to avoid the barrage of cards. She moved with graceful fluidity, each teleportation calculated and deliberate. She sliced through the air as she deflected a few of the cards that came too close. But for every card she dodged, two more took their place, swirling around her like a storm of cutting paper.
Shiloh grinned, clearly enjoying the challenge. "You're quick, but how long can you keep this up?"
Emmeranne didn't answer.
Instead, she focused on the pattern of his cards, watching the way they moved and how he manipulated them. She had already calculated his next move before it happened.
With a swift, fluid motion, she vanished again, reappearing in front of Shiloh just as he sent another wave of cards at her. She swung her sword, the blade flashing through the air in a deadly arc. This time, however, Shiloh wasn't unprepared.
A card appeared in front of him, larger and thicker than the rest.
It was a shield- a defensive card.
The blade of Emmeranne's sword clashed against it with a loud metallic ring, sparks flying as the card absorbed the blow. Shiloh smirked, twisting the card with his hand to deflect the force of the strike and push her away.
Emmeranne teleported again, this time behind Shiloh, and in the split second before he could fully turn around, she lashed out with her sword. The blade cut through the air with lightning speed, aiming for his midsection.
Shiloh's eyes widened in realization as he twisted and flicked his wrist again. A card materialized in front of him, spinning rapidly, and it collided with the sword just in time, the blade of the sword catching the edge of the card and sending a shockwave that rattled through both of them. The impact sent Shiloh stumbling back, his feet slipping on the stone platform, but he regained his balance quickly.
"Impressive," he said through gritted teeth, his eyes flashing with a mix of admiration and competitive fire. "But you'll have to do better than that."
He swept his hand through the air, and the remaining cards surrounding him shifted, turning into a wall of sharp edges. The cards zipped forward like blades, a tornado of destruction heading straight for Emmeranne.
She teleported again, her figure reappearing behind Shiloh, closer this time. With lightning speed, she slashed her sword through the air, aiming for his back. Her blade struck true, cutting across his shoulder.
Shiloh grunted in pain but quickly grinned again. "Nice try," he said. "But you're not the only one with tricks up your sleeve."
With a snap of his fingers, the cards that had been flying around him halted in mid-air. Then, in an explosive burst of motion, they converged on his body, forming a swirling vortex of cards around him. They spun rapidly, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, the cards shot out in every direction, each one moving at a different angle, creating a web of strikes to overwhelm Emmeranne from all sides.
Emmeranne was forced to react quickly, teleporting in rapid succession to avoid the barrage.
But just as one of the cards grazed her arm, she teleported again, her figure reappearing just above Shiloh. This time, she struck before he could react. Her sword came down in a decisive, powerful arc, aiming for his head.
Shiloh's eyes widened, but before the blow could land, he vanished in a flash of blue light, reappearing several meters away. He was breathing hard now, a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. "You're tougher than I thought."